Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates in general to regulating the temperature of a fluid in a container and, in particular, to an apparatus for regulating the temperature of wine in a bottle, and aerating the wine when it is dispensed through the apparatus.
Background Art
The temperature at which wine is served is important to appreciate its special qualities and flavors. There are various tables of authorities that show the ideal temperature ranges for each type of wine or vintage. The temperature ranges vary greatly according to the type of wine. The widest range exists between the desired temperatures associated with red wines versus that of white wines.
There are several factors that make it challenging to maintain the ideal temperature that allows a wine to reveal all of its qualities. One factor concerns the conditions in which the bottles are kept after they are opened. This can lead to a wine temperature that is either too high or too low after the bottle is selected, opened and served. It is difficult to keep wine bottles within satisfactory temperature conditions, as they will more often than not become too warm when left on a table at room temperature, or become too cold if put on ice. Once removed from a proper cooling environment, keeping a chilled wine at a temperature below ambient temperature is particularly difficult.
There also is some risk of the wine losing its flavors and taste by bringing about a decrease in temperature that occurs too quickly. For example, use of a wine ice bucket or freezer may cause this destructive effect on the qualities of wine. In some businesses, such as restaurants and catering, this process needs to be done quickly and cannot be avoided. It is rarely possible for some wine servers to ask a customer to wait to taste the vintage chosen on a wine list. It is also undesirable to risk being discredited by serving a wine that is at the wrong temperature. It is therefore desirable to facilitate bringing and maintaining wine at an ideal temperature to savor it without necessarily affecting its qualities.
Various solutions have been proposed to maintain the desired wine temperature in conditions that reduce risk to affecting its taste. Again, wine ice buckets are a common choice for this proposition. Other devices may be inserted into a bottle of wine and incorporate pour-through apertures and/or aeration such that the devices are not removed from the bottle until it is empty. Moreover, conventional pour-through devices enable ventilation of the beverage which increases its temperature and affects its taste. Thus, improvements in regulating the temperature of wine and aerating wine would be desirable.